Editorial: What terrorist?

Just to comply with dictators’ and tyrants’ follies the definition of terrorist nowadays is tailored to only fit the definition of those who later turn out to be the people’s enemy. Dictators and tyrants are defined so because they oppress, using people’s common resources to build mercenary armies, point their guns and bombs at civilians, pillage and torture the wider poor population of a nation.

On the other hand, feeling terror is like a big whopping boom in your backyard shaking the ground and terribly frighten you, such that there is a heavy even painful pounding on your chest, that cuts a deep scare in your heart, deep fear of loss for life, of everything you own or all that is precious to you. Such is intense terror and the one who causes and perpetuates it especially at a much wider scale as against a whole town or country, is a terrorist.

Yesterday, in Ilocano a cab driver was asked, if his taxi meter has been calibrated to the new rates and he calmly said it was not yet its schedule, today is for those whose plate numbers end in 1 and 2. His plate is 3. He then commented that it (increasing taxi fare) is not really helpful to the ordinary citizen or even to him as a contract driver but it is only because of that TRAIN that unreasonably is being implemented. The prices of everything is rising like everyday but our income as taxi drivers as all other workers for that matter is not increasing enough to even only cope with the costs of basic necessities.

By next week, he says, when they calibrate this (pointing to the taxi meter) I am afraid they would also tell me to junk this cab because this model is scheduled to be phased out in 2 or 3 years according to, you know… government orders and he shrugs his shoulders. After some silence, he asks, Where will I go? Kabutbuteng (it is scary), jobs are very hard to find now… (silence). He must be terrified by the prospect of losing his livelihood.

Government actions like the extralegal handling in the “war on drugs” that has reportedly killed (EJK) 17,000; the insistence to change the constitution – cha-cha; the ramming down of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train Law); the declaration and extending of martial law in Mindanao and threat to expand it nationwide. The imposition of an anti-poor jeepney transport modernization plan. The violation of indigenous peoples’ rights over their ancestral domains and land. The bombings of IP domains and even community schools. The brazen threats against journalists and even news outfits. The vilification of critics to government policies and programs including activists, development workers, environmentalists, human rights defenders, and unionists. Even the Department of Justice filing a proscription petition in court to label some 600 personalities or private citizens listed as respondents to the petition tagging them as members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front of the Philippines-New People’s Army under the draconian Human Security Act of 2007.

All of these are meant to make it easier to squeeze as much profit and tax from the greater Filipino population who are poor and too terrorized to say No! Sobra na! Tama na!

So, who actually terrorizes who?

This is that time when concerned and conscientious citizens come together and talk about linking arms and standing up against being terrorized by undemocratic moves and human rights violations. Let’s Organize for Democracy and Integrity (LODI). # nordis.net